AMD's GlobalFoundries consumes Chartered Semi riva

[god_43]

Hot on the heels of its announcement last week that it had inked a wafer-baking deal with Qualcomm, GlobalFoundries - formerly the chip-making arm of Advanced Micro Devices - says that it has completed its acquisition and integration of rival chip manufacturer, Chartered Semiconductor of Singapore.

GlobalFoundries, still partially owned by AMD, is controlled by Advanced Technology Investment Company, an investment vehicle for the government of Abu Dhabi. In October 2008, ATIC kicked AMD $1.4bn in cash and assumed $1.2bn of its debt to get a 55.6 percent stake in the foundry operations, promising equity funding of at least $3.6bn and up to $6bn over five years to build out the foundry.


http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/01/14/globalfoundries_chartered_combo/

:shocked:


so AMD/GlobalFoundries had 2 fabs before this (and one being built), and has now gained 5 more? (most of them might be a little out dated).....:up:

[EniGmA1987]

Wow so it actually did happen. Glocabl Foundries looks like it is becoming a big player fast.

[LordEC911]

now gained 5 more? (most of them might be a little out dated).....:up:

Which isn't a big deal since that is where a bulk of the marketshare/volume is.
It almost guarantees that GF just picked up the vast majority of Chartered's customers.

[god_43]

Wow so it actually did happen. Global Foundries looks like it is becoming a big player fast.

if my estimates are correct, they are only 3 fabs less than intel eh?




Which isn't a big deal since that is where a bulk of the marketshare/volume is.
It almost guarantees that GF just picked up the vast majority of Chartered's customers.

doesn't CS have/had 119 customers, and 2.9 bln in revenue/profits?

[highoctane]

doesn't CS have/had 119 customers, and 2.9 bln in revenue/profits?

Not sure about their total revenue but I'm pretty sure they posted a loss last year and earnings where fairly flat before hand, the loss probably helped to ripen the fruit for the picking by GF.

[Dimitriman]

Excellent move and Excellent timing, they should have a great capacity if they can partially integrate graphics chips production into Chartered manufacturing this year still.

I wonder how AMD shares will change from this move by its partner.

[saaya]

amd doesnt really have 2 fabs in dresden... the buildings are event connected to each other, i dont get why they call it two fabs... especially since they cant operate each "fab" entirely independt from the other... its more like a double pumped fab or hyper threadded fab :D

5 more fabs?chartered has 5 fabs?
didnt know that... i thought it was only 2?

[Behemot]

I think Intel has more than 10 fabs, too. They are preparing for closing some of them, but still...not sure how many Intel fabs is out there in Indonesia and Philippines, some are in USA, new are being built/preparing to be built in Israel and they have probably some at places I haven't ever thought about ;)

[Aerwidh]

amd doesnt really have 2 fabs in dresden... the buildings are event connected to each other, i dont get why they call it two fabs... especially since they cant operate each "fab" entirely independt from the other... its more like a double pumped fab or hyper threadded fab

Dresden, SMT in real life :D

[god_43]

oh wait no they have 6 fabs!


http://www.semiconductor.net/article/339669-ATIC_to_Acquire_Chartered_Semiconductor_Combine_It _With_GlobalFoundries.php


wow they really bought them for pennies on the dollar!

[AliG]

Wow, add this to the fab in New York and AMD should finally be a major competitor to Intel in terms of total products sold per year.

This should also help Chartered out as I understand it, but just playing Devil's advocate, I think people are ignoring the fact that GF just wiped out some of their competition. I mean, if it was Intel who bought them, don't you think people would be reacting a little differently? Once again, just trying to point out the flipside, not start a flame war.

[saaya]

6fabs my 4ss... :P
its 2 fabs at best, a 200mm and a 300mm fab, and they probably share a lot of tools... so you could call it a "5 issue fab" plus a second fab :D

http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/711/146238charteredfabs.jpg


29% of production at 65 nm and 2% at 45 nm
so 70% of their fab capacity is 90nm or even older...

the most important reason to buy charted is most likely customers, not fab tech or capacity...

[Stukov]

Wow, add this to the fab in New York and AMD should finally be a major competitor to Intel in terms of total products sold per year.

This should also help Chartered out as I understand it, but just playing Devil's advocate, I think people are ignoring the fact that GF just wiped out some of their competition. I mean, if it was Intel who bought them, don't you think people would be reacting a little differently? Once again, just trying to point out the flipside, not start a flame war.

The reason that it isn't really a big deal is that the company who owns most of GF and owned I think almost all of Chartered basically just merged the two companies together by having one by the other out.

Money exchanged hands, but the majority of the stake holders basically had stock certificates go from being called Chartered to Global Foundries...and this is done over seas, so doesn't need to be approved by US.gov. Only Abhidabi

[nn_step]

at this rate GlobalFoundries is going to completely Maul all other semiconductor businesses in the foundry business. Not only that but probably be the only company to spend more than Intel on Lithography.

[god_43]

6fabs my 4ss... :P
its 2 fabs at best, a 200mm and a 300mm fab, and they probably share a lot of tools... so you could call it a "5 issue fab" plus a second fab :D

http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/711/146238charteredfabs.jpg


so 70% of their fab capacity is 90nm or even older...

the most important reason to buy charted is most likely customers, not fab tech or capacity...

maybe i am not understanding you? but from the link i posted, they say 6 fabs?


Chartered operates five 200 mm fabs and a 300 mm fab in Singapore. Starting in 2002, the company began working with IBM as a member of the Fishkill Alliance, and quickly licensed the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) process used by both IBM and AMD for their leading-edge microprocessors.

is this also a Dresden design? i am not attacking ore anything, i am just trying to understand what you mean?

[saaya]

at this rate GlobalFoundries is going to completely Maul all other semiconductor businesses in the foundry business. Not only that but probably be the only company to spend more than Intel on Lithography.IF they can get it all working right...
its not just fabs, fabs are mere tools... if you have a bunch of monkeys operating them then thats not going to do much good... *hint, tsmc, hint* :D
also, keep in mind that good old hector is steering GF atm, so theres still a LOT that can go wrong :lol:

hector crashed motorola into the wall and then almost killed amd... while he might not ruin GF, i dont expect much from him considering his... outstanding track record :p:

[AliG]

IF they can get it all working right...
its not just fabs, fabs are mere tools... if you have a bunch of monkeys operating them then thats not going to do much good... *hint, tsmc, hint* :D
also, keep in mind that good old hector is steering GF atm, so theres still a LOT that can go wrong :lol:

hector crashed motorola into the wall and then almost killed amd... while he might not ruin GF, i dont expect much from him considering his... outstanding track record :p:

Wait I thought Hector resigned last year? Isn't Dirk in charge?

[Nedjo]

amd doesnt really have 2 fabs in dresden... the buildings are event connected to each other, i dont get why they call it two fabs... especially since they cant operate each "fab" entirely independt from the other... its more like a double pumped fab or hyper threadded fab :D

5 more fabs?chartered has 5 fabs?
didnt know that... i thought it was only 2?

GloFo has two giant "clean rooms" in Dresden, with additional testing facilities...

[Stukov]

IF they can get it all working right...
its not just fabs, fabs are mere tools... if you have a bunch of monkeys operating them then thats not going to do much good... *hint, tsmc, hint* :D
also, keep in mind that good old hector is steering GF atm, so theres still a LOT that can go wrong :lol:

hector crashed motorola into the wall and then almost killed amd... while he might not ruin GF, i dont expect much from him considering his... outstanding track record :p:

Yeah I thought Hector resigned amidst being investigated recently?

[zalbard]

Looks like AMD is getting ready for Bulldozer era. There will be no chip shortages! :D

[sethk]

Comparisons to Intel's fab capabilities and capacity are a little premature, but the intention of the fabs taken over from CS is totally different. Someone has to make the non-sexy, large-process, cheap, low-complexity chips like drive controllers, etc., where price and continuity is the driving concern, not performance or size.

65nm is still pretty viable for a lot of non-cutting edge uses, there's a lot of volume there, as other people have pointed out.

[nn_step]

IF they can get it all working right...
its not just fabs, fabs are mere tools... if you have a bunch of monkeys operating them then thats not going to do much good... *hint, tsmc, hint* :D
also, keep in mind that good old hector is steering GF atm, so theres still a LOT that can go wrong :lol:

hector crashed motorola into the wall and then almost killed amd... while he might not ruin GF, i dont expect much from him considering his... outstanding track record :p:

actually that isn't true as things currently stand with Doug Grose (CEO) and
Chia Song Hwee (COO) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GlobalFoundries


and from what I hear, they are throwing some big money to attract talent

[saaya]

Wait I thought Hector resigned last year? Isn't Dirk in charge?dirk is in charge of amd now, hector became CEO of GF
but yeah, he resigned after the investigations against him started, i forgot... thats great news for GF :D


GloFo has two giant "clean rooms" in Dresden, with additional testing facilities...so youd say it really is two fabs? well it depends on how you define it i guess... :)


actually that isn't true as things currently stand with Doug Grose (CEO) and
Chia Song Hwee (COO) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GlobalFoundries


and from what I hear, they are throwing some big money to attract talentyeah my bad, i forgot that :D

[KingOfsorroW]

Thats got to have some impact on the ATI division too. Which will it be? ...

[flippin_waffles]

dirk is in charge of amd now, hector became CEO of GF
but yeah, he resigned after the investigations against him started, i forgot... thats great news for GF :D

so youd say it really is two fabs? well it depends on how you define it i guess... :)

yeah my bad, i forgot that :D

Dude, at least make an attempt to get your facts straight. That's 0 for 2 so far. Hector became chhairman of the board for GF after leaving AMD, and Doug Grosse has been CEO from the beginning. What's with this personal vendetta you have with HR anyway? I'm sure he doesn't give you a second thought! And by people that actually know a little bit about the subject, the fab spinoff was a brilliant move. And it doesn't take much brain power to see that the ATi aquisition was an equally good move. And if you disagree, then I'll wait til fusion hits the market to watch you eat those words. :)
The other thing H R was in charge of was the lawsuit against intel. And as suspected, it went away with him. And also as suspected seems to be the motivation behind the intel affiliated crowd's propaganda campaign ahainst him. Scumbags, just like NV's focus group.I hope intel has a similar fate and backlash, but there's power in numbers, and even more power if those numbers are influenced by money!

[god_43]

Dude, at least make an attempt to get your facts straight. That's 0 for 2 so far. Hector became chhairman of the board for GF after leaving AMD, and Doug Grosse has been CEO from the beginning. What's with this personal vendetta you have with HR anyway? I'm sure he doesn't give you a second thought! And by people that actually know a little bit about the subject, the fab spinoff was a brilliant move. And it doesn't take much brain power to see that the ATi aquisition was an equally good move. And if you disagree, then I'll wait til fusion hits the market to watch you eat those words. :)
The other thing H R was in charge of was the lawsuit against intel. And as suspected, it went away with him. And also as suspected seems to be the motivation behind the intel affiliated crowd's propaganda campaign ahainst him. Scumbags, just like NV's focus group.I hope intel has a similar fate and backlash, but there's power in numbers, and even more power if those numbers are influenced by money!


well yes that is all good and nice....but he is a suspect in the gallion case. so its not as if he is picture perfect. i always thought that the ati move was good? dont know about the fabs though, but intel left amd with little options.

[qurious63ss]

Dude, at least make an attempt to get your facts straight. That's 0 for 2 so far. Hector became chhairman of the board for GF after leaving AMD, and Doug Grosse has been CEO from the beginning. What's with this personal vendetta you have with HR anyway? I'm sure he doesn't give you a second thought! And by people that actually know a little bit about the subject, the fab spinoff was a brilliant move. And it doesn't take much brain power to see that the ATi aquisition was an equally good move. And if you disagree, then I'll wait til fusion hits the market to watch you eat those words. :)
The other thing H R was in charge of was the lawsuit against intel. And as suspected, it went away with him. And also as suspected seems to be the motivation behind the intel affiliated crowd's propaganda campaign ahainst him. Scumbags, just like NV's focus group.I hope intel has a similar fate and backlash, but there's power in numbers, and even more power if those numbers are influenced by money!

The Ati appears to be a good move for Amd, but as far as the fab spin off goes I think that it is too early to tell. The real test will come with 32nm and even more so the 22nm shrinks. It will be interesting to see if GF makes it's top priority to keep Amd happy or if they change priorities to other partners and possibly slow down node transitions to maximize profits.